Signal Over Noise

Staying Up To Date

ElastiFlow — Fri, 24 Apr 2026 20:29:21 GMT

In this episode, we’re learning about learning. In a space that is constantly evolving, how do you stay up to date? Sara invites 3 of ElastiFlow’s software engineers to talk about their favorite sources for information and how they’re working to strike a balance when overconsumption can seem so tempting. We also discuss the importance of fostering a default to open culture and knowledge sharing.

What helps inform our architectural decisions
RSS feeds - don’t call it a comeback
The importance of community - virtual and IRL
Our favorite tool to hoard research papers

Resources

eBPF: Performance Gains for Observability

ElastiFlow — Fri, 10 Apr 2026 21:55:51 GMT

In this episode of Signal > Noise, Sara invites Sven Cowart, co-founder and CTO of ElastiFlow, to explore why eBPF (Extended Berkeley Packet Filter) has become the clear favorite for high-scale, performance-critical networks.

From its origins to its current status as a revolutionary tool for observability and security, Sven breaks down how eBPF provides kernel-level insights without the traditional performance overhead or the need for manual application-level instrumentation.

a brief history of eBPF
eBPF vs sidecars
power of autoinstrumentation
key projects in the ecosystem
bridging NetOps and DevOps

Resources

Building and Monitoring a Home Lab

ElastiFlow — Fri, 13 Mar 2026 20:02:31 GMT

In this episode, Sara invites Madison Grubb, Senior SRE at ElastiFlow, and Brad Collins, Sales Engineer at ElastiFlow, to discuss the evolution and observability of home labs. They explore the iterations of their home lab setups—ranging from repurposed laptops to K3s—and the differing philosophies behind open-source solutions vs add-to-cart, plug-and-play.

Madison and Brad share real-world stories of how network visibility uncovered hidden vulnerabilities, such as a "local" doorbell leaking data and a 3D printer generating excessive DNS noise and how they remediated.

Resources

The Art of Communication for Engineers

ElastiFlow — Fri, 27 Feb 2026 19:43:27 GMT

In this episode, Sara invites Reggie Ross, Engineering Manager at ElastiFlow, to discuss the critical role of communication in engineering, particularly in agentic development. They explore how effective communication can bridge the gap between technical and non-technical audiences, the importance of setting boundaries and expectation management, and the parallels between human relationships and interactions with AI. Reggie shares insights from his background in communication and how it informs his approach to engineering, emphasizing the need for engineers to develop strong communication skills to succeed in their careers.

Resources:

Chapters:
00:00: Celebrating Engineering Week and Communication
03:04: The Importance of Communication in Engineering
05:58: Communication Strategies and Techniques
09:08: Managing Expectations and Boundaries
11:58: The Role of Communication in Team Dynamics
14:58: Humanizing AI and Communication Challenges
18:10: Improving Communication Skills for Engineers
21:00: Future Research and Community Building

Responding to Announcements at Cisco Live EMEA

ElastiFlow — Fri, 13 Feb 2026 23:56:04 GMT

In this episode, Sara invites Rob Cowart (co-founder of ElastiFlow) and Madison Grubb (Sr. SRE at ElastiFlow) to get their reactions to some of the announcements made at Cisco Live EMEA in Amsterdam this week, including an announcement of our very own.

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The ElastiFlow Origin Story and the Future of Observability

ElastiFlow — Fri, 06 Feb 2026 18:46:17 GMT

In this episode, Sara sits down with Rob and Sven Cowart, the co-founders of ElastiFlow, to discuss the shift from legacy infrastructure and tooling to AI-driven network observability. We cover ElastiFlow's GitHub origins, the blurring lines between NetOps and DevOps, and the future of observability.

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